CITY TIME TRAVELLER S.02
Jason hosted and consulted on the 6-part architectural TV series, ‘City Time Traveller’ Season 2 on Channel NewsAsia. The second series aired in 2015, and explored Asian capital cities further afield. Season 2 returned to the familiar territories of India and China given its popular appeal, but also ventured into new territories including Paro (Bhutan), Manila (Philippines) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia).
SPAIN'S BASTION IN THE EAST Jason explores the colonial walled city of Intramuros in the heart of Manila, Philippines. He visits a few architectural sites to find the distinct influences that the Spaniards have left of the Filipino people.
THE LEGACY OF BRITISH INDIA Jason travels to Kolkata where he explores Howrah Railway Station, the Oberoi Grand Hotel and College Street. He discovers a city infused with the remnants of the British Raj, and gets insights on the colonial architectural imprint on the city's cultural space.
THE SEARCH FOR MALAYSIAN ARCHITECTURE Urban architecture reflects a city’s context, physical and cultural. Malaysia distils its identity in its capital, Kuala Lumpur. The works of modern architects here reflect the national religion – Islam. But do those hallmarks define Malaysian architecture? Jason tells us the story.
THE LAND OF THE SIKHS In this episode, Jason visits Amritsar, the spiritual centre of Sikhism in northwestern India. He visits Amritsar's holiest place of worship, the Golden Temple, and learns about the life of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, through the fresco of the walls in the architecture.
CHINA'S BRIDGE TO THE WORLD In this episode, Jason visits China's financial centre, Shanghai. Through the architecture evolution of the financial skyscrapers, Jason learns how Shanghai testifies to China's endless ambitions to soar.
THE SPIRITUAL IN THE SECULAR In the season finale, Jason immerses himself in the indigeneous architecture of Paro, Bhutan. Here, he visits public spaces and private homes, and finds out how the spiritual and the secular intertwines. In the face of modernity, Bhutan still reigns as one of the happiest places on earth.